"kay" wrote in message
...

'David WE Roberts[_2_ Wrote:
;893409']

Well, the figs look ripe, but they are soft and spongy.
When broken open there is some flesh, but no seeds - just the inward
facing
flowers.
So it looks as though they have not been pollinated.

Now memory plus a quick Google says that pollination is by wasps
specific to
each type of fig.
I suspect that there is probably not a colony of wasps for this fig and
that
is where the problem lies.

We have never had any problem with our Brown Turkey, which leads me to
believe that it is self fertile.


My understanding is that the figs that we generally grow to eat fresh
are from a group that don't need pollination to set fruit - ie they'll
produce fruit without seeds in them (ie slightly different from being
self fertile). The bits inside our Brown Turkey fruits I don't think are
viable seeds - but I may be wrong.

So there's two possibilities 1) that the figs are dropping for some
cultural reason, eg too dry. Must admit this sounds improbable if it's
happening every year.

2) the fig in question has been acquired from an overseas source and is
one of the ones that needs pollination (apparently these varieties are
the ones normally used for dried figs). Since the fig pollinating wasps
don't live in this country, it's hard to see what could be done to
achieve pollination if this is the case.

If you want a more authoritative reply, you could try telephoning or
emailing Reads Nursery, who supply a huge number of varieties of fig.
They used to be regular posters to urg.


Thanks.
I doubt cultural reasons because the tree looks happy and healthy, and also
the figs (as shown in the photos) look normal and ripe apart from the lack
of 'juiciness' inside.

As a gift of unknown species I think it is probably more likely that it does
require a pollinating wasp.

A shame, because if this is the case then the tree will be replaced - it is
taking up space and not producing anything useful.
Hopefully it will be replaced by a more appropriate variety of fig.

From my random Googling, for Ficus in general it seems that the concealed
flowers are formed and the trigger for ripening is the fertilisation.
However in this case the fruit seems to be ripening anyway so I am slightly
puzzled.

I am contacting Reads - thanks.

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder